Damper structure for speaker system

ABSTRACT

A damper structure includes a plurality of first yarns; a plurality of second yarns transversely crossing and alternately overlapping the first yarns respectively in a knitted manner so as to define a plurality of overlapping areas, wherein the first and second yarns include at least one first or second yarn formed by a single yarn strand; and a fixture layer formed on and enclosing the overlapping areas in such a manner that each of the overlapping areas has a fixed configuration in cross-section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a damper structure, more particularlyto a damper structure that is used in a speaker system and that includesa first or second yarn formed by a single yarn strand.

2. The Prior Arts

Referring to FIG. 1, a damper structure 12 is installed in a typicalspeaker 1, which operates under the principle that when an alternatecurrent passes through a voice coil 14, an electromagnetic field isgenerated above the permanent magnet 15 such that the cone diaphragm 11vibrates due to reciprocal movement of the voice coil 14 in the verticaldirection relative to the permanent magnet 15, thereby vibrating thenearby air and hence producing sound. The cone diaphragm 11 is usuallyconnected to the damper structure 12 and the base unit via thesuspension plate 13. As illustrated, the damper structure 12 is attachedto the voice coil 14 and the cone diaphragm 11 to stabilize vibration ofthe voice coil 14 and for enhancing the sound quality of the speaker 1.The damper structure 12 is formed by a plurality of coaxial continuedcoils, each of which has a corrugated configuration in cross section.

In the typical speaker system, the vibration elements, such as thedamper structure 12, the cone diaphragm 11 and the suspension plates 13,are generally made from cloth fabric. The main reason for using thecloth fabric is that the cloth is fabricated or knitted from pluralityof yarns, each yarn is formed by a plurality of fiber strands to havethe proper elasticity and strength. However, the elasticity and strengththereof may loosen after a long period of use and hence leading todeformation and decreasing in the audio output quality of sound from thetypical speaker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the primary objective of the present invention is to providea damper structure, which can eliminate the problems of looseningelasticity and deformation of the fiber strands within the yarns. Hence,the damper structure of the present invention for used in a speakersystem includes a plurality of first yarns; a plurality of second yarnstransversely crossing and alternately overlapping the plurality of firstyarns respectively in a knitted manner so as to define a plurality ofoverlapping areas, wherein the plurality of first and second yarnsincludes at least one first or second yarn formed by a single yarnstrand; and a fixture layer formed on and enclosing the overlappingareas in such a manner that each of the overlapping areas has a fixedconfiguration in cross-section.

In one embodiment, the plurality of first yarns includes a portionconsisting of at least one first yarn formed by a single yarn strandwhile a remaining portion thereof consists of several pieces of thefirst yarns, each is formed by several twisted fiber strands.

In one embodiment, the plurality of second yarns includes a portionconsisting of at least one second yarn formed by a single yarn strandwhile a remaining portion thereof consists of several pieces of thesecond yarns, each is formed by several twisted fiber strands.

Preferably, the fixture layer further encloses entire surface areas ofthe plurality of first and second yarns in addition to the overlappingareas.

In one embodiment, respective ones of the first and second yarns and thefixture layer are integrally formed with one another at a respective oneof the overlapping areas once a heat treatment is conducted thereto.

Preferably, each of the plurality of first and second yarns furtherincludes one encapsulating sheath for sleeving over the single yarnstrand. Under this condition, the single yarn strand serves as a corewhile the encapsulating sheath serves as an external layer enclosing thecore from above.

Preferably, the damper structure of the present invention is used as adamper substrate in a speaker system.

Preferably, the damper structure of the present invention is made fromcloth fabric, such as cone paper.

Moreover, the damper structure of the present invention is used as asuspension plate for interconnecting a diaphragm to a spider frame of aspeaker system.

In the present invention, note that each of the first and second yarnsis formed by a single yarn strand rather than several twisted fiberstrands. Since the fixture layer encloses the entire areas of the firstand second yarns so as to be one-integral piece, the fixture layer willnot disengage easily from the single yarn strands of the first andsecond yarns even after a long period of vibration. In other words, suchan arrangement provides high elastic strength to withstand thevibration, thereby eliminating the problems of loosening elasticity anddeformation of the fiber strands within the yarns due to long term use,as encountered in the prior art. In addition, the damper structure ofthe present invention further includes an encapsulating sheath forsleeving over the single yarn strand and since the single yarn strand aswell as the encapsulating sheath are produce via the extrusion process,the two respective have a relatively long axial length. The requiredelasticity of the damper structure of the present invention can beadjusted by varying a ratio amount between the single yarn strand andthe numbers of encapsulating sheaths.

Only when the damper structure of the present invention serving as thedamper substrate has sufficient elasticity, which, in turn, preventsuntimely fatigue and thus provides a larger moving range of the damperstructure of the present invention, thereby resulting in a longerservice life when compared to that of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of this invention will become moreapparent in the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a typical speaker system;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a damper structure of the presentinvention for employment in a speaker system;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional views of the first embodiment ofthe damper structure of the present invention for employment in thespeaker system;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention for employment in the speaker system;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the second embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention for employment in the speaker system;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the third embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention for employment in the speaker system;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the third embodiment of thedamper structure of the present invention for employment in the speakersystem;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the fourth embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention for employment in the speaker system;and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the fourth embodiment of thedamper structure of the present invention for employment in the speakersystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of adamper structure of the present invention employed in a speaker systemwhile

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional views of the first embodiment ofthe damper structure of the present invention employed in the speakersystem. As illustrated, the damper structure 2A of the present inventionhas the construction similar to the prior art, is corrugated incross-section. However, the shape and structure should not be restrictedonly to the corrugated configuration, any other shapes, such as planarand other geometric figures with symmetric portions can also be employedso long as the damper structure has the strength and proper elasticityto withstand the elastic fatigue and vibration, thereby providing thedesired sound quality.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention employed in the speaker system. Asshown, the damper structure 2A according to the present inventionincludes a plurality of first yarns 21 (generally called warp); aplurality of second yarns 22 (generally called weft) transversely(perpendicularly) crossing and alternately overlapping the plurality offirst yarns 21 respectively in a knitted manner or interlaced manner soas to define a plurality of overlapping areas 23. Note that theplurality of first and second yarns 21, 22 includes at least one firstor second yarn formed by a single yarn strand. The material forconstruction the first and second yarns 21, 22 is the same or differentfrom each other. The material is selected depending on the requirementof the desired sound quality. Preferably, the materials for fabricationof the first and second yarns are selected from petrochemical materialand other type of artificial fibers, which are produced throughextrusion processes. If two types of materials are blended to fabricatethe first and second yarns, the damper structure 2A thus producedaccordingly possesses two characteristic of the blended materials. Thedamper structure 2A of the present invention further includes a fixturelayer 24 that is formed on and that encloses the overlapping areas 23 ofthe first and second yarns 21, 22 in such a manner that each of theoverlapping areas 23 has a fixed configuration in cross-section, adetailed description will be further explained in the followingparagraphs.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the second embodiment of the damperstructure of the present invention. The damper structure 2B accordinglyincludes a plurality of first yarns 21 and a plurality of second yarns22 transversely (perpendicularly) crossing and alternately overlappingthe plurality of first yarns 21 respectively in a knitted manner so asto define a plurality of overlapping areas 23. Please note the knittedor interlaced design of the second embodiment is different from thatshown in FIG. 4, and that the first and second yarns 21, 22 arealternately disposed along the first and second directions perpendicularto each other prior to conducting the knitting or interlacing operationsas stated above. In this embodiment, the plurality of first yarns 21include a portion consisting of several pieces of first yarns, eachfirst yarn is formed by a single yarn strand while a remaining portionthereof consists of several pieces of the first yarns; each first yarnis formed by several twisted fiber strands. In the same manner, theplurality of second yarns 22 include a portion consisting of severalpieces of second yarns, each second yarn is formed by a single yarnstrand while a remaining portion thereof consists of several pieces ofthe second yarns; each second yarn is formed by several twisted fiberstrands. The other elements of the second embodiment having the samestructure as the previous embodiment are omitted herein for the sake ofbrevity. It is to note that the second embodiment has even distributionof the first and second yarns 21, 22 in the design when compared to theprevious embodiment and hence provides a better sound quality. Note thedamper structure 2B is used as a damper substrate in a speaker system.Moreover, the damper structure stated above can be used as a suspensionplate for interconnecting a diaphragm to a spider frame of the speakersystem.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of thethird embodiment of the damper structure of the present inventionemployed in the speaker system while FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectionalview of the third embodiment of the damper structure of the presentinvention employed in the speaker system. As illustrated, the damperstructure 2C according to the present invention includes a plurality offirst yarns 21; a plurality of second yarns 22 transversely(perpendicularly) crossing and alternately overlapping the plurality offirst yarns 21 respectively in a knitted manner so as to define aplurality of overlapping areas 23. Note that each of the first andsecond yarns 21, 22 is formed by a single yarn strand rather thanseveral twisted fiber strands. The material for construction the firstand second yarns 21, 22 is the same or different from each other. Thematerial is selected depending on the requirement of the desired soundquality. Preferably, the materials for fabrication of the first andsecond yarns are selected from petrochemical material and other type ofartificial fibers, which are produced through extrusion processes.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the fixture layer 24 is disposedor encloses the entire surface areas of the first and second yarns 21,22 as well as the overlapping areas 23 via immersion process. After thata heat treatment is conducted on the assembly of the fixture layer 24,the first and second yarns 21, 22 and the overlapping areas 23 such thatonce the heat treatment is finished, respective ones of the first andsecond yarns 21, 22, the fixture layer 24 and a respective one of theoverlapping areas 23 are integrally formed with one another and that theassembly 2C has corrugated shape in cross section, hence the fixturelayer 24 is prevented from disengagement relative to the first andsecond yarns 21,22. Since the assembly 2C is a relatively large and longsheet, only a desired section can be cut out therefrom in order to formthe damper structure 2C of different sizes. In addition, drying,pressing and trimming processes are also conducted on the assembly 2C,after which those vibration elements, such as the cone diaphragm 11, thedamper structure 12 and the suspension plates 13 of FIG. 1, can beconstructed by cutting a desired length piece from the assembly 2C.Therefore each vibration element thus constructed is light in weight andpossess sufficient elasticity and hence can prolong the service life andsimultaneously enhancing the sound quality of the speaker systemprovided with the damper structure of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, wherein FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of thefourth embodiment of the damper structure 2D of the present inventionwhile FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the fourth embodiment ofthe damper structure 2D of the present invention. The fourth embodimenthas the construction structure similar to the third embodiment, exceptin that each of the plurality of first and second yarns 21, 22 furtherincludes one encapsulating sheath 212 for sleeving over the single yarnstrand 211. Under this condition the single yarn strand 211 serves as acore while the encapsulating sheath 212 serves as an external layerenclosing the core, as best shown in FIG. 8. In order to meet therequired elasticity and the desired thickness of the damper structure ofthe present invention, several encapsulating sheaths can be employed soas to be sleeved over one another. In addition, in the presentembodiment, the fixture layer 24 encloses the assembly only at theoverlapping areas 23 (i.e., the remaining portion of the assembly is notenclosed by the fixture layer 24), thereby saving the material of thefixture layer 24 and simultaneously economizing the manufacture cost aswell as the total weight of the damper structure of the presentinvention. In the same manner, those vibration elements, such as thecone diaphragm 11, the damper structure 12 and the suspension plates 13of FIG. 1, can be constructed by cutting a desired length piece from theassembly 2D. Therefore each vibration element thus constructed is lightin weight, possesses sufficient elasticity and hence enhancing the soundquality of the speaker system provided with the damper structure of thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described in connection with what isconsidered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it isunderstood that this invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments but is intended to cover various arrangement included withinthe spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompassall such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A damper structure comprising: a plurality offirst yarns; a plurality of second yarns transversely crossing andalternately overlapping said plurality of first yarns respectively in aknitted manner so as to define a plurality of overlapping areas, whereinsaid plurality of first and second yarns includes at least one first orsecond yarn formed by a single yarn strand; and a fixture layer formedon and enclosing said overlapping areas in such a manner that each ofsaid overlapping areas has a fixed configuration in cross-section. 2.The damper structure according to claim 1, wherein said plurality offirst yarns includes a portion consisting of at least one first yarnformed by a single yarn strand.
 3. The damper structure according toclaim 2, wherein said plurality of first yarns further includes aremaining portion consisting of several pieces of said first yarns, eachis formed by several twisted fiber strands.
 4. The damper structureaccording to claim 1, wherein said plurality of second yarns includes aportion consisting of at least one second yarn formed by a single yarnstrand.
 5. The damper structure according to claim 4, wherein saidplurality of second yarns further includes a remaining portionconsisting of several pieces of said second yarns, each is formed byseveral twisted fiber strands.
 6. The damper structure according toclaim 1, wherein said fixture layer further encloses entire surfaceareas of said plurality of first and second yarns in addition to saidoverlapping areas.
 7. The damper structure according to claim 1, whereinrespective ones of said first and second yarns and said fixture layerare integrally formed with one another at a respective one of saidoverlapping areas once a heat treatment is conducted thereto.
 8. Thedamper structure according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality offirst and second yarns further includes one encapsulating sheath forsleeving over said single yarn strand.
 9. The damper structure accordingto claim 8, wherein said single yarn strand serves as a core while saidencapsulating sheath serves as an external layer enclosing said core.10. The damper structure according to claim 1, wherein the damperstructure is used as a damper substrate in a speaker system.
 11. Thedamper structure according to claim 1, wherein the damper structure ismade from cloth fabric, such as cone paper.
 12. The damper structureaccording to claim 1, wherein the damper structure is used as asuspension plate for interconnecting a diaphragm to a spider frame of aspeaker system.